Spring cushion



Jan. 8, 1929. 1,698,638

w. LEWIS SPRING CUSHION Filed Nov. 5, 1924 s Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 8, 1929.

w. LEWIS SPRING CUSHION Filed Nov. 5, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 M/La V )i'rr ass Jan. 8, 1929. 1 1,698,638

W. LEWIS SPRING CUSHION Filed Nov. 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I VNTOR flrro NEYS Patented Jan. 8, 192 9.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Application filed November 5, 1924. Serial No. 747,929.

This invention relates to spring cushioned upholstering for the seats and backs of chairs, couches, davenports and the like, in which one or more sets of springs are assembled in definite relation as a unitary article of manufacture ready for installation in chairs, couches or other articles of furniture, for receiving and supporting the padding and covering commonly used in upholstering of this character.

The method most commonly employed is to place the springs more or less symmetrical- -ly within the frame of the article of furniture with corresponding ends resting upon suitable supports of webbing or metal bars leaving their other ends disposed in a plane parallel with, butsome distance beyond, the plane of the correspondim face of the frame, after which additional we bing and padding is placed upon the last named ends and its marginal edges drawn tightly toward and secured to the adjacent portions of the frame to produce the desired convexity of the exposed surface, following which the covering is placed upon the padded surface and its marginal edges firmly secured to the frame to complete the upholstering.

In other words, the finished surface of the upholstering is usually convexed and when the marginal edges of the padding and covering are drawn sufiiciently tight to compress the adjacent portions of the springs to produce the desired convexity and fastened to the frame, the padding and covering are necessarily placed under continuous high tension resulting either in loosening the fastening means or tearing out the marginal edges of the padding and covering and the main object of my invention is to construct the spring unit assembly in such manner as to produce the desired convexity and thereby to lessen the strains upon the marginal edges of the padding and covering when installed in the frame of the article of furniture.

It is also well known that unless the springs along the margin of the upholstering and particularly those at the front of an upholstered seat where the pressure is greatest and most frequent are connected to distribute the load from one to the other they soon become more or less flattened or otherwise deformed thereby causing irregular and objectionable sagging and wrinkling of the adjacent portions of the padding and covering, and another ob'ect of the invention is to provide means w ereby pressure upon any portion of the marginal edge of the s stem of springs will be transmitted to adjacent marginal springs and thereby to reduce the liability of deformation of the upholstering as a whole.

A further object is to arrange the complete system of springs in sets so that the marginal sprlngs may constitute one set and those w1th1n the marginal set will constitute another set and to arrange said sets so that each may have a limited action independently of the other.

A still further object is to encase the marg nal springs in suitable sheathings of webbmg and to provide the intermediate ortlons of said sheathings with extension aps adapted to be secured to the adjacent portions ofthe frame of the article of furniture for assisting in holding the entire system of sprlngs in definite relation to the frame.

Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the device will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a top plan of a cushion seat made up as a unit and embodying the preferred features of my invention ready for attachment to a frame of an article of furniture for receiving the padding and covering.

Figures 2, 3 and 4 are enlarged sectional views of the same seat taken respectively on lines 22, 33 and 44, Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of one side of the marginal set of springs showing the sheathings therefor and a portion of one of the flaps by which the sheathing may be attached to the frame of the chair or other article of furniture.

Figure 6 is a top plan of a modified form of my invention omitting the webbing and sheathing in which the outer edges of the marginal springs are held under compression by flexible ties to produce the desired convex surface of the entire system of springs.

Figures 7 and 8 are sectional views taken respectively on lines 7-7, and 88, Figure 6.

As illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, the seat comprises an outer or marginal set of coil springs 1 and an inner set of coil springs 2-, all of said springs being arranged to extend in the same general direction with their axes substantially parallel and those of eachset in spaced relation relatively to each other and to those of the other set so that they may be compressed and extended without friction one with the other.

These cushions are usually four sided and either rectangular or nearly so in top plan and are double convex in cross section an also in longitudinal section, the springs of the mar 'nal set being somewhat shorter than those the other set or compressed within the planes of the opposite ends of the springs of the other set to produce the desired convex surface of the cushion as a whole.

In Figures 1 vto 5 inclusive the means for holding the springs of the marginal set in compressed relation with their opposite ends in planes some distance within the planes of the corres nding ends of the inner set, consists of tu ularsheathings 3 of webbing and inner lining strips 4- preferably of the same material each compressing a row of the springs -1 as shown more clearly in Figure 5, the strips 4- being arranged in pairs for each row and those of each pair stitched or otherwise secured together to form tubes each receiving one of the springs.

That is, the strips -4- are drawn across opposite ends of the springs of each row and are stitched together at 5 at both ends of the row and also are drawn between the tially flat, parallel planes.

After each row of springs.-1- are bound together, in the manner described, between the strips 4 they are inserted into the tubular sheathings 3- which constitute additional means for holding the ends of the springs under compression and within the planes of the corresponding ends of the springs 2-- of theinner set. The sheathings -3- are preferably made of sheets of webbing extending the entire length of the row of springs which it is adapted to embrace and are made into tubular form by folding the sheet upon itself substantially midway between its ends and then stitching the opposite halves together longitudinally along theline 7, Figure 5, the proper distance from the fold to form the desired tube and also some distance from the ends to form flaps 8 adapted to be turned upwardly, downwardly, or extended horizontally as may be most convenient and eflicient for attachment to the frame of the article of furniture and thereby to support the marginal series of springs in proper relation to said frame, the lines -7 of stitching being preferably located substantially midway between the ends of the springs and at the outer sides thereof adjacent the frame not shown to which the flaps 8 are to be attached.

The marginal springs 1 are preferably cylindrical or of uniform diameter from end ate frames 11 and 12v all of which frames are preferably made of wire. and extend continuously along the four sides of the marginal set of springs, and sheathings 3 to which they are fastened by cords or equivalent fa'stening means to hold the frames and .adj acent portions of the sheathings in. reasonably fixed relation. The wire frames -9- and 10 and also the frames 11-' and 12 are located respectively at the inner sides and outer sides of the springs 1''- while the frame 10' is located at the outer side of the springs, the frames 11- and 12 being disposed substantially midway between the ends of the springs and substantially parallel with the remaining frames --9, -10- and -10'.

The central portions of two of the opposite sides of the inner frame -11 are connected by a wire tie rod -13, while the central portions of the remaining two sides of the same frame are connected by an additional tie bar --13.

In a similar manner the central portions of two of the opposite sides of the outer intermediate frame 12- are connected by a tie rod -14, said tie rods -13 and 14 serving also as braces to hold the adjacent portions of the frames to which they are attached against undue inward or outward movement, the tie bars 13 and 13'-'-being connected at crossing by a wire ring 15- to hold them against relative movement.

The springs -2 of the inner set are preferably double conical and somewhat longer than the springs 1 so as to extend beyond the opposite ends thereof for producing the desired convexity of the opposite faces of the cushion as a whole, said springs being preferably arranged in lengthwise and transverse rows and are supported at one end by strips 16 and 17 of webbing and an additional sheet 18- of the same material, the strips 16 and 17 crossing each other at substantially right angles at the adjacent ends of the springs and extended to the corresponding sides of the frame .10 where they are firmly secured by cords or other suitable fastening means.

The sheet webbing 18- is co-extensive with the adjacent side of the cushion and has its marginal edges secured by cords or other suitable fastening means to the frame 10 across the outer faces of the Webbing strips 16 and 17- thereby combining with said strips to form a flexible support for the adjacent ends of the springs 2.'

The other ends of the springs 2- are surrounded by a marginal wire frame .19

and are secured to the adjacent portions of said frame by clips 20 and are also connected to each other by chains or other flexible ties 21, the four sides of said frame 19-- being also connected to the frame 9 by chains or flexible ties 22 arranged in spaced relation throughout the lengths of said frames 19 and 9--.

In Figures 6 --7 and 8 is shown a spring cushion similar to that previously described in that it is composed of a marginal set of springs 1' and an inner set of springs --2', the latter being preferably double conical and of greater length than the springs of the marginal set which are preferably cylindrical and of uniform diameter from end to end and relatively shorter than the intermediate sprin s 1' to produce the desired convexity of the opposite faces of the cushions. A pair of wire frames10- and 10' extend continuously around the marginal set of springs near the ends thereof and in spaced parallel relation, said frames being connected at regular intervals throughout their lengths by chains or other flexible ties -3' to hold said frames and the ends of the springs within the planes of the correspondin ends of the intermediate springs 2' an still allow the free flexing action of the marginal set of springs independently of the springs of the inner set.

The opposite ends of the springs 1 are connected by clips 20-- to adjacent portions of the corresponding frames -10 and 10'-- for holding said ends of the springs in relatively fixed relation to the corresponding frames.

The adjacent sides of the springs 1- are also connected to each other by chains or other flexible ties Q3, while the adjacent sides of the intermediate springs are connected to each other by flexible ties such as chains -21, the intermediate springs adjacent I the outer marginal springs being connected by additional flexible ties as chains 22, thereby establishing flexible connections between corresponding ends of the intermediate springs and those of the marginal set of springs and permitting the springs of either set to act independently of those of the other set.

It will be noted that in both forms of this invention the springs of the intermediate set are relatively longer than those of the marginal set and that the axial extension of the springs of the marginal set is limited either by the tubular sheathings --3 as shown in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive or by the flexible tie members 3' as shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8 thereby forming a spring cushion with opposite convex faces and in which the springs of the inner set are free to compress under load and to expand under their own tension independently of the springs of the outer set by reason of the flexible connections between both sets.

It will also be obvious that the wire frames extending around the marginal edge of either set near the ends of the corresponding springs and their connections with said spring cases will receive any load'which may be applied to any one or more of those springs to be transmitted to others of the same set and tend to keep the ends of the springs of thatset in substantially the same plane, particularly when the load thereon is removed, all of which assist in preserving the symmetrical contour of the upholstering.

Each of the springs 1 of the outer marginal set is fastened to the fabric tube 3.

and to the outer wire frame 10 by loops 24 which preferably form parts of a continuous cord 24' extending along the four sides of the wire frame 10.

The adjacent sides of the springs -1 are also secured together and tothe sheathing -3 by loops 25 forming parts of a continuous cord 26 which also extends along the four sides of the sheathings 3- as shown in Figure 1.

The inner edges of one end of the springs 1 are also attached to the adjacent portions of the sheathings 3 and to the inner wire frame 9 by loops 27- forming parts of cords 28-, Figure 1 which also extends around the four sides of said frame -9 and together with the cords 26 and 24 assist in holding the frames 9- and 10- andadjacent portions of the sheathings 3- in substantially fixed relation to the adjacent end, of the springs --I.

The ends of the fabric strips 16 aid 17- and the marginal edges of the fabric sheet 18 ma be fastened by similar cords to the margina wire frame 10' and to the adjacent portions of the sheathings 3 and springs 1 to hold those parts in relatively fixed relation, the lower ends of the springs -1 being also fastened by cords similar to the cords'-26 to the adjacent portions of the sheathings 3 to hold them against relative lateral movement in said sheathings.

What I claim is:

1. A spring cushion comprising an outer set of similar coiled springs arranged in parallel spaced relation around the marginal edge of the cushion, a pair of similar resilient wire frames extending around the marginal edge of the cushion in planes adjacent the opposite ends of said springs, ties connecting opposite ends of the springs to the adjacent portions of the frames, flexible connections between said frames arranged to normally hold the springs under approximately egual compression and to limit the separation o the frames under the expansive force of the springs and permitting free relative moyement of the frames and opposite ends set, and flexible members attached to one of said wire frames and extending across the corresponding ends of the springs of the inner set for holding them under compression and ermitting both ends to yield toward each 0t er.

A spring cushion comprising an outer set of similar coiled springs arranged vertically side by side in parallel spaced relation around the marginal edge of the cushion, a pair of similar resilient wire frames extending around the marginal edge of the cushion in planes adjacent the lower and upper ends of the springs, means for attaching the wire frames to the springs, an inner resilient wire frame extending along the inner sides of the upper ends of the outer set of springs, means for attaching the inner wire frame to the adj-acent ends of the springs, an inner set of coiled springs arranged n vertical parallel spaced relation to each other and to'the outer set of springs and having their lower and up per ends nor ally disposed in planes some distance belo\ and some distance above the corresponding ends of the outer set of springs, a separate wire frame surrounding the upper ends of the inner set of springs, means for connecting the upper ends of the springs of the inner set with the last-named wire frame, additional means for connecting the upper ends of the springs of the inner set to each other, connections between the last-named wire frame and the second-named inner wire frame, and flexible members attached to the lowermost outer wire framea-ndextending across the lower ends of the springs of the inner set.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 21st day of October, 1924.v

WILLIAM LEWIS. 

